Our original Japan plan included spending three nights in Kyoto, Japan's cultural city, and once the seat of the imperial court until it moved from Kyoto to Tokyo in 1869. As you can imagine, Kyoto is a very popular place to visit and just before our holiday we saw reports of severe overcrowding there.
So we pivoted our plans and decided to do a day trip to Kyoto from
Osaka. That's because you can get to Kyoto in 15 minutes on a bullet train from Osaka, or it's just 30 minutes on the regular train service. One day definitely wasn't enough to explore Kyoto properly but I'm happy with what we did there given the circumstances.
First up, and the one you shouldn't miss in Kyoto, is
Fushimi Inari Taisha (the ten thousand Tori gates). Now, you could shuffle behind the many tourists through and up the gates to get to the top of Mount Inari, but I've got a different way for you. To the right of the entrance, there's some woods. You want to take that path because that way up you'll barely see anyone, get to see empty Tori gates and Shinto shrines, walk through a small bamboo forest, visit a waterfall and maybe spot some wildlife along the way. We maybe saw three or four people along the way.
That is vague, I know, and if you're wondering how exactly you get to the top, all I can say is we managed it by following
these equally vague instructions. (Proceed at your own risk, of course, but we were fine!) Basically, head towards Kobogataki Falls, then Aokigataki, then Shiragiku Waterfall if you're following the path you can see on Google Maps. And from there you should spot trail signs for "Mount Inari", which is where you ultimately want to be. Do come back down through the gates though - you'll notice it is quieter nearer the top, then the crowds start to form the closer you get to the entrance. (Most people just make it to the viewpoint overlooking Kyoto.)
Food was on our mind after this hike, and
Nishiki Market is the place to go in Kyoto. It's lots of small street food type places, all in one long indoor market. All very tasty, all very cheap! Refuelled for the afternoon, we headed to the Gion district which is where the geishas live. Chances are though you won't see any, only tourists dressed up in kimonos, as they have banned tourists from a lot of the streets to protect the geishas and maikos (apprentice geishas).
What you will see in this district though are lots of temples and shrines, most notably Hokan-ji Temple (which is also referred to as Yasaka-no To Pagoda). Dating from 1440, it's the most famous temple in Kyoto. And if you fancy a different view of it, head to
K36, a rooftop bar at Hotel Seiryu. Other shrines we paid a quick visit to were Yasui Kompiragū and the Nio-mon Gate, which is the main entrance to Kiyomizu-dera Temple. But mostly we mooched around Gion.
There is so much more to see and do in Kyoto, so this post is in no way comprehensive. But, if you have a limited time in Japan's former capital city, then this is a decent representation. Ideally though I'd recommend at least 2-3 days in Kyoto, which was our original plan. (We'll just have to return in a different, and quieter, season!) x
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